Ticker
Tickers were creatures found in the Hollow that the Locust used as a mobile land mine by strapping Imulsion tanks to them.Gears of War 2 Bio They were named after the ticking sound they make while scurrying across the battlefield. They are small creatures that somewhat resemble a cross between a rodent and a reptile. Tickers are always seen in large numbers, and are used mainly as mines against COG vehicles. However, the Locust use them against COG ground troops as well; an example of this being the Kantus, which summon them two at a time and use them as a last defense when under direct threat by COG units. They are quick moving and relatively difficult to detect despite the sounds they emit, making them dangerous and unpredictable adversaries, especially in large groups. Due to the gas released by tickers when about to explode, and the tanks mounted on their backs, it would seem that Imulsion is used to cause the explosions. History Evacuation of Ilima Four months after the Lightmass Offensive During an urban battle between the Locust Horde and the COG, several tickers were defending a sniper nest but their Imulsion pack explosives were used against them by a single Gear named Alex Brand.Gears of War:Barren part 1 Hollow Storm During Operation: Hollow Storm, packs of Tickers were used against the COG’s Assault Derricks. During the Assault on Landown, at least one Rig was destroyed by Tickers. Rig D77 only had one survivor, Tai Kaliso.Gears of War 2 Dozens of Tickers were inside the old buildings inside Landown and tunnels, but Delta-One was able to escort their Rig to safety. Inner Hollows Delta-One was able to breach the Palace and engage in a duel with Skorge who summoned packs of Tickers, all of which were destroyed. Jacinto’s fall During the Siege of Jacinto, packs of Tickers were located on rooftops on Jacinto, which like the numerous Kantus and Drones were killed by elements of Delta-One.Gears of War 2 Lambent Invasion Tickers are seen several times, both with and without bombs attached to them. It is shown how the bombs are attached to them in the Locust stronghold in the Deadlands and a whole crate of Tickers is used to kill a Lambent Leviathan. Behind the Scenes Combat Strategy Nearby tickers can be identified by the distinct ticking/clicking sound they emit. It is advisable to eliminate tickers before they close in, as their explosions are harmless at long range. Tickers move quickly and zig-zag towards targets; long bursts of gunfire should be avoided as recoil makes targeting even more difficult. One strategy for dealing with extremely nearby tickers is to melee them when they approach, throwing them several meters away, temporarily knocking them on their backs and stunning them. However if you melee the same ticker twice it will blow up as if having been shot and will down you from which state you'll have to be revived by a squadmate. Hitting Tickers will provide time to escape their blast radius and attack them from greater range. However, if a Ticker is already emitting fire, the best course of action is to roll away, as it is about to explode. Oddly, if a ticker has already lit its tanks, and is struck and knocked away, it won't detonate, as it seems to be able to extinguish its tanks at will. Be sure to check the Ticker corpses after attacking them: if a body is still intact, it is still alive and will attack again. A good use of tickers is to turn their power against the Locust themselves, they are bombs after all. An experienced player can smack a ticker into the centre of a group of Locust and then shoot it; an even more experienced player can shoot it in mid-air, causing head/upper-body damage. This is an especially useful tactic when fighting the later rounds of Horde mode: the Locust often bunch up together and Tickers run rampant. Newly introduced in Horde 2.0, wild tickers appear in larger groups, eat weapons that lie on the floor, deal a lot of damage to barriers and melee attack players. A melee attack instantly kills them and they aren`t more resistant to bullets than the "normal" tickers. You can tell by their glowing belly that they carry something in them. Sometimes they hop out of a green box (bonus wave reward), reveiling an ammo clip upon kill. Achievement Unlocked Buffing a Ticker with a melee attack 30 times unlocks the "Takes a Licking" Achievement. Lancer melee attacks do not count towards this achievement. The name of the achievement is a reference to the phrase: "Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.", because Tickers can survive one melee and still attack you. They keep on ticking. Multiplayer In Beast mode, two kinds of Tickers are available to play as: Wild Tickers, which do not have Imulsion packs strapped to them that can eat grenades and melee attack with their claws. However, after having eaten a tagged on grenade, the wild tickers melee abilities are reduced to one explosion, just like a normal ticker that can be used in Beast mode as well. Xbox Live Marketplace You can get a pet ticker as a prop for your avatar through the Xbox Live Marketplace. References Category:Locust Horde Category:Hollow Creatures